Belt.



C. IVIINNICH & l. J. & H. B. IVIATHEWS.

BELT.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.20. 1915.

Patented May 15, 1917.

STATE@ CHARLES MINNICH AND JOHN 5. lIT-IEWS, 0F GREENVILLE, AND HENRY B. MATHEWS, 0F ANSONIA, OHIO.

BELT.

f! 10 @ZZ lwhom 'it may Concern.'

.Be it known that we, CHARLES MINNICH and JoHN il. lfinfrrinws, of Greenville,Darke county, Ohio, and HENRY B. ll/ln'rirnws, of i-Lns ':nia, Darke county, hio, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and uffful improvements in Belts, of which the following is a specification.

'lhis invention contemplates an improved belt and has as its primary object to provide :i device of this character so constructed that it may, without likelihood of slipping from place, be positioned loosely around the body to support the trousers and conscsilently eliminate the discomfort experienced with the ordinary tight fitting belt.

ri`he invention has as a further object to provide a belt which may be fitted over the shirt and beneath the trousers and which will thus act to prevent the shirt from working up.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a belt employing stays adjustable upon the belt to fit over the hips of the wearer for supporting the belt in position and adapted to engage buttons carried by the trousers for supporting the trousers.

Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds and in the drawings wherein we have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding` parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the manner in which our improved belt is applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the manner in which the stays employed are adapted to rest against the hips of the wearer to support the belt in position and are also adapted to engage buttons carried by the trousers for supporting the trousers. i

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the belt detached, and

Fig. l is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing the manner in which the stays are adjustably mounted upon the belt.

ln carrying out our invention, we employ a belt 10 which may be formed of leather or any other suitable material and the free ends of which are adjustably connected by Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 20, 1915.

any co ventional type of fastening device, such as a buckle, as illustrated in the drawing.

Arranged upon the belt to extend at substantially right angles thereto, is a pair of stays 11, each of which is preferably formed from a piece of flexible leather and each end of each stayl preferably projects beyond the adjacent longitudinal edge of the belt a distance at least equal to the width of said belt. The stays 11 are oblong in general contour and mounted uponl the outer faces thereof, are longitudinally extending reinforcing strips or ribs 12. The ribs 12 are preferably constructed of resilient sheetmetal and may be riveted or otherwise secured to the stays. The reinforcing strips tend to prevent the leather of the stays from cracking or breaking down but at the same time, are of such character that when the belt is applied, the stays will readily bend to fit the body of the wearer.

Formed in the stays, substantially midway the ends thereof, are transversely spaced openings and the belt is threaded through said openings in the manner illustrated in Fig. t of the drawings to adjustably support the stays upon the belt. it will be noted that the openings in the stays define intermediate webs and that the strips 12 are arranged to overlie these webs to provide a reinforcement therefor. At their upper extremities, the stays are provided with notches 13 which open through the upper end edges of the stays and are adapted to receive the trouser buttons.

ln use, the belt is fitted comfortably around the waist over the shirt of the wearer as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The stays 11 are then adjusted around the belt to rest over the hips as more particularly shown in Fig. 2, the stays being of such length as to extend well upon opposite sides of the belt. When so positioned, the lower extremities of the stays will bend outwardly to iit against the hips and will thus efficiently support the belt in position about the waist even though loosely fitted thereto. Uncomfortable pressure about the abdomen experienced with the ordinaryI belt will thus be eliminated and it is further to be observed that the stays as well as the belt will tend to prevent the shirt from working up.

The upper extremities of the stays, as more particularly shown in Fig. 2, are

adapted to rest against the sides of the body beneath the trousers which will be fastened up to overlie and entirely conceal the belt and the stays with the buttons ordinarily found at opposite sides of trousers of con- .'entional type engaging in the notches 13 of the stays. The stays will then directly support the weightof the trousers and hold them in position.

lt will be noted that the belt may be readilyI applied and that the trousers may be easily engaged therewith. No inconvenience in the use of the device will, therefore, be experienced. Furthermore, in slidably mounting the stays upon the belt, the stays may be easily positioned to lit over the hips of the wearer' and may be adjusted in accordance with the requirements of each individual user.

Having thus described our invention7 what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device of the class described including a belt, and flexible stay members each connected at an intermediate point to the belt with the opposite ends of the stays projecting beyond the adjacent longitudinal edges of the belt a distance greater than the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. C.

width of said belt7 said stays having their upper ends formed with button engaging of the hips and cooperating with the belt to receive the weight of a garment connected to said stays.

2. A device of the class described coinprising oppositely disposed flexible stays having spaced longitudinal openings formed in the intermediate portions thereof and their upper ends provided with button receiving notches, a belt threaded through the openings in the stays and bearing against the inner faces of the stays between said openings, and resilient reinforcing members secured to the outer faces of the stays between the openings therein, each end of each stay projecting beyond the adjacent longitudinal edge of the belt a distance at least equal to the width of the belt.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signatures.

cnlinLns Minuten. [Le] JoHN J. Mxrnnws. [1.. s] HENRY. n. Martini/vs. [as] Commissioner of atcnts;- 

